Sixty years after a historic meteor storm lit up the American West, the Leonid meteor shower returns on Tuesday, November 17, with a much quieter display, The Watchers reported.
Earth passes every November through a stream of dust left behind by Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Tiny particles burn up at about 44 miles per second to create streaks of light.
This year’s encounter will not produce a spectacular storm. Skywatching columnist Joe Rao said that this year’s shower could produce around 10 to 15 Leonids an hour at best.
Observers in Spain and across Europe can watch the peak overnight on Tuesday, November 17, into Wednesday, November 18, Euro Weekly News reported. Spain’s National Geographic Institute said that maximum activity will arrive at approximately 00:45 on Wednesday, November 18, in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands.
Storm of 1966
Comet Tempel-Tuttle orbits the Sun every 33 years, leaving fresh dust trails during each close pass. When Earth plows directly through a dense trail, meteor rates surge dramatically.
That dynamic triggered the legendary storm on November 17, 1966. Amateur astronomers on Kitt Peak in Arizona watched meteor rates climb rapidly before the display exploded.
Observers in the western United States recorded up to thousands of meteors per minute. The Kitt Peak group estimated a peak of roughly 40 meteors per second at 4:54 a.m. local time, equaling about 144,000 meteors an hour.
That intense outburst lasted only about 15 minutes. Earlier storms, such as the famous 1833 display over North America, similarly convinced witnesses that the world was ending.
Viewing the Shower
Weather permitting, observers can spot shooting stars between November 6 and November 30, though the night of November 17 offers the strongest activity. No telescope or binoculars are necessary for the viewing.
Experts recommend driving away from streetlights and urban light pollution. The Moon will be in its first quarter and is expected to set around midnight, leaving darker skies for the prime viewing hours before dawn.
The radiant in the constellation Leo rises around midnight from latitudes near 40 degrees north. Observers should settle comfortably in an open spot, look toward the darkest patch of sky, and allow roughly 20 minutes for night vision to adjust.
Future Comet Passes
Comet Tempel-Tuttle last passed near the Sun in 1998, and its next close approach is scheduled for 2031. Forecasters look ahead to the 2030s for potential changes in meteor activity.
Modelling by meteor researcher Jeremie Vaubaillon suggests an outburst in 2034 could reach roughly 2,000 meteors an hour. That projection remains a model-based estimate rather than a certainty.
For now, forecasters predict no major storms on the scale of 1966. This year delivers a modest night of shooting stars rather than a continuous rain of light.
Worth a look